FORT WORTH — Jurors sentenced a 28-year-old woman on Friday to five years in prison for having sex with five of her Kennedale High School students, despite pleas from one of them that she be shown mercy.

The 19-year-old witness, referred to as “John Smith,” said he didn’t believe Brittni Colleps deserved anything more than probation because he and his friends were willing participants, and all were of age.

The jurors — seven men and five women — took less than an hour to find Colleps guilty on 16 counts of improper relationship between educator and student, and less than three hours to hand out the punishment.

Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Beach called the verdict fair and thanked the jury for taking the case seriously.

During two days of testimony, Smith and the four other young men described sexual encounters at Colleps’ home in Arlington, some with multiple students participating and one of which was recorded on a cellphone video shown to the jury.

The charges carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but the defense hoped to convince jurors that the former English teacher deserved no more than probation.

The prosecution noted, though, that the law clearly prohibits any sex between teachers and their students, no matter how old they are.

“Your job is very simple,” Assistant District Attorney Tim Rodgers told jurors before they convicted Colleps. “There is no gray area.”

Colleps’ husband, Christopher, held his head in his hands and sobbed as his wife was led out of the courtroom. He left the courtroom arm-in-arm with Colleps’ mother and declined to comment.

During the punishment phase, the prosecution declined to call any witnesses, leaving the defense to present testimony about Colleps’ character and her role as a wife and a mother of three.

Rita Nolan, a family friend, testified about Colleps’ relationship with her children.

“There will be three children without a mother,” she told the jury.

Christopher Colleps said the couple’s three children, ages 8, 6 and 5, are staying with his sister.

“We told them that Mommy did some bad things and made some bad choices, and there’s a possibility that Mommy might have to go away,” he said.

Fighting back tears through his emotionally charged 20-minute testimony, he pleaded for mercy for his wife.

“I’m asking you to give her probation,” he said, “because it’s not my or my kids’ fault.”

Previously, Christopher Colleps had said he would stand by his wife, and he reiterated that during his testimony.

“Till death do us part means till death do us part,” he said.

It was earlier revealed that he and his wife participated in group sex in Fort Polk, La., where he was stationed in the military and before Colleps began teaching in Kennedale.

“This behavior is accelerating until the day she is called into the office, caught and kicked out of school,” Beach said.

During cross-examination, Christopher Colleps disagreed with the 2003 law under which his wife was convicted.

“I don’t see a problem with consenting adults having sex with each other.”

Defense attorney Lex Johnston said the jury may rethink how it interpreted the law with its sentence.

“The jury should be thinking about this and will probably regret what they did,” he said.

Johnston also fears how the verdict of the highly publicized trial will reverberate through the country.

“It sent a message to the United States,” he said. “Tarrant County is too conservative.”